Disley

 April 6, 2022

DISLEY, BOLLINHURST RESERVOIR, MILLENIUM WOOD, BLACK ROCKS, BYRON HOUSE, GREENSHALL LANE, PEAK FOREST CANAL, GOYT VALLEY, HAGUE BAR, THE FOX AT BROOK BOTTOM, STRINES, PEERES SWINDELLS' COTTAGE, PEAK FOREST CANAL, HAGG BANK, THE DANDY COCK AT DISLEY

Distance: 9 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Sunny start, then prolonged rain and sunny finish.

Walkers: Andy Blease, Alastair Cairns, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney and Cliff Worthington.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (Turkey hols), Peter Beal (collecting mended car), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Mark Enright (w*^king), Mark Evans (India hols), Kieran Rooney (w*^king in Middle East), Dean Taylor (heavy cold), Simon Williams (daughter home from uni)

Leader: Hart. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Disley rail station car park.

Starting time: 9.31am. Finishing time: 2.11pm.

A miserable day weather-wise was brightened by the idiosyncrasies of Tom, who broke his personal best for getting lost, and by Chris who was blessed with a low turnout for his round of birthday drinks.

Having lost touch with the group twice on the last time we attempted this route, Tom was offered a carer before we set off. He scorned the suggestion. Within five minutes he was ringing to ask where we were.

It turned out he had forgotten his rucksack as we headed out of the car park and returned to his car to retrieve it. By then he had lost sight of the group. To provide perfect symmetry for the walk, Tom left his rucksack behind at our final watering hole.

Light rain had been forecast for most of the day and even the donning of your diarist's magic waterproof pants failed to keep the persistent precipitation away. But the first call of the curlew and the hammering of a woodpecker were indications of better weather ahead.

From the station car park we walked past The Ram's Head on our right and turned right uphill, passing Red Lane. Just before we reached The White Horse we turned right up Ring O'Bells Lane and headed up to the building, a former pub, which gave the lane its name. The original pub sign is still there but the building is now a Quakers' meeting house.

We turned right in front of the building, crossed a footbridge over a stream and turned left (5mins). It was at this early juncture that we received Tom's Mayday call. After waiting for him to rejoin us we continued along a path with graveyards from the parish church on either side.

We turned left and headed diagonally left along a well-trodden path which cut off a corner and emerged opposite a metal kissing gate which we went through to head diagonally right across a field with the distinctive Lyme Cage atop a hill in the distance (9mins)

At the corner of the field we left via another metal kissing gate to head up a track with Lyme Cage to our right until we reached the entrance to a farmyard. Here we turned left up steps through a wooden kissing gate (18mins). The path took us along the left of a drystone wall behind which was Bollinhurst Reservoir.

The reservoir with Lyme Cage in the distance

As we walked towards the eastern end of the reservoir we heard the first cries of a curlew. When we reached a wooden stile on our right (28mins) we turned right to enter a wood, following a path through a metal kissing gate and then headed right towards a metal gate (34mins)

Beyond the gate was a track and a sign directly opposite for Drake Carr. We followed this path and when we reached the picturesque cottage on our right after 50 yards we turned left up steps to enter Millenium Wood (36mins). The path brought us through a wooden gate to a road where we turned right (40mins)

After passing Bolder Hall Farm on our left we turned left to cross a stile by a wooden public footpath sign for Black Rocks (43mins). In the past we have had difficulty reaching the summit because of thick fog, but on this occasion the way was clear.

Would we be rewarded at last for our climb by stunning views from the ridge. Alas not.

A slight drizzle had steadily worsened and even my magic pants failed to scare the rain away. By the time we reached the ridge known as Black Rocks the landscape back across the valley was veiled in mist (62mins). We turned left, soon climbing over a ladder stile marked with a white arrow (63mins)

Continuing along the ridge we went through a metal kissing gate and followed a yellow arrow (68mins) to the left of a copse of trees. Following Tom's confident instructions from the rear Chris headed straight on towards a dead end and clambered over a wall. Tom meanwhile, realising his mistake, headed left to a new metal kissing gate which brought us to the rear of a cottage (78mins)

A right of way through the cottage garden brought us to the road where Chris awaited. We crossed it and followed a footpath sign through the garden of Byron House. At a gate on the far side we were able to turn left and head downhill along a narrow pathway.

At the bottom of the path we turned right (83mins) passing Pear Tree Cottage on our left. We now followed this track, which became rocky, as it wound downhill. It was revealed as Greenshall Lane as it reached the A6 (95mins). We crossed the busy main road and entered Lower Greenshall Lane, walking through the tunnel under the Manchester-Buxton railway line and over Bridge 27 across the Peak Forest Canal (101mins)

At the far side of the bridge we turned left to reach the canal and turned left again to where a bench has often been used at Pietime. On this occasion, however, we chose to shelter from the rain under the bridge itself.

Pietime under Bridge 27

Resuming after pies and port we walked with the canal on our left as we headed in the direction of Marple. Ducks and geese were nesting on the far side and we should not have long to wait for our first sights of ducklings and goslings.

The Upper Peak Forest Canal is 7 miles long starting from Whaley Bridge and Bugsworth Basin through Bridgemont, Furness Vale, New Mills and Disley on its way to Marple. It was opened in 1796 and was predominantly used to transport coal and limestone, using the Peak Forest Tramway and linking with other existing canals.

When we reached Bridge 25 we turned right through a gap marked with a green public footpath sign (113mins). The path led us down a flight of steep wooden steps and across a footbridge (119mins). After climbing uphill on the far side of a stream we turned right up a steep flight of wooden steps to cross a wooden stile (124mins)

Turning left at a yellow arrow we crossed a wooden stile (128mins) and walked to the left of a pond to enter a car park. As it emerged on a road at the far side we turned right for 10 yards then went left following a green public footpath sign(131mins)

This brought us to the banks of the Goyt where we walked with the river on our left.

The path led us back to the road where we turned left and crossed a bridge over the Goyt. We were now heading relentlessly uphill, passing a children's playground on our right at Hague Bar and crossing a main road (141mins)

This minor road became progressively steeper as it passed Lower Hague Fold Farm on the right just before it swung left in front of a row of cottages. (Front-runners Andy, Alastair and Chris had wrongly opted to go up a track to the right of the cottages and were well on their way to New Mills before they learned the error of their ways)

Beyond the cottages the path swung right and came to a minor road (148mins). Turning left past a memorial bench to Eric Burdekin we arrived at The Fox at Brook Bottom (149mins) and were joined five minutes later by our three amigos. Tom proclaimed the Robinsons' Unicorn bitter to be top class – praise indeed. The beverages were supplied by Chris, celebrating his 67^th birthday.

On leaving the pub we retraced our footsteps for a few paces before turning right at a sign marked Goyt Valley Way. This was a rocky descent and we stopped just short of a railway bridge for a brief lunch (159mins). We continued past Strines Station and Strines Hall on our left and passed a former millpond with its own dovecote on our right.

The millpond and dovecote at Strines

We crossed Strines Road (167mins) and headed uphill along a rough track. As it levelled we came to an ancient cottage on our right with a stone transcription above its door informing us that “Peeres Swindells purchest this land and built this house in the yeare 1694.”

Built to last 326 years ago

When we reached the Peak Forest Canal (176mins) Andy and Alastair had used their innate sense of direction to turn right towards Marple before the rest of us could advise them to turn left towards our destination. When this was realised a phone call brought them back along the towpath of righteousness with the canal on our right.

We exited at Bridge 24 (184mins) and climbed steadily uphill before descending to pass Hagg Bank Allotments on our left.

One last climb under the railway bridge brought us to the A6 at Disley with The Dandy Cock a few yards to our left (200mins). Here we enjoyed pints of Robbies and Dizzy Blonde, with Tom once more forgetting his rucksack. From there is was a five minute walk across the A6 and right through the traffic lights to reach our cars at the station (205mins).

Next weeks' walk will start at 9.40am from The Little Mill Inn at Rowarth on the far side of Mellor. We will aim to reach The Lantern Pike at Little Hayfield around 12.15pm for a bracer before returning to The Little Mill at about 2.20pm.

Happy wandering !